Fla. schools starting to feel pinch of state budget cuts

SARASOTA (AP) -- A week after lawmakers took $300 million in local school money out of the budget, school districts across the state are deciding what to cut or how to make up the difference.

In Port Orange, more than 1,000 high school students staged a protest Wednesday to protest a decision to convert high schools in Volusia County to a six-period class schedule in August instead of seven to cut costs.

The students gathered in the central courtyard of Atlantic High School after first period, refusing to return to class until their concerns were heard.

It took about an hour for administrators to persuade most students to return to class while 50 student leaders met with school and district administrators to discuss the schedule change.

Volusia expects to save between $1.5 million and $2 million by going to a six-period day. Fewer teachers will be needed for the new schedule.

In Sarasota, the school board is hoping to find more money elsewhere and on Tuesday approved a special election on a property tax increase that would raise an additional $25 million annually for county schools.

Elsewhere, the Alachua County School Board is considering reducing summer school and staff development and delaying school construction projects to make up for a $4 million cut. Indian River County schools plan to reduce supplies, delay technology purchases and cut some staff training to make up a $2 million cut.

Miami-Dade County school officials planned to meet Wednesday night to decide how to make up for $81 million in cuts. The district is considering draining about a quarter of its reserves, or $7 million, to help make up the difference. Another plan would call for all employees to take a three-day unpaid leave, which would save $25 million.

Lawmakers finished a special legislative session last week and cut just over $1 billion from the state budget written last spring. The session was called because the economy has slumped and forecasts of incoming taxes have diminished.

In Sarasota, the school board unanimously approved a special election for March 19 to vote on the tax hike. The board wants voters to increase property taxes $1 for every $1,000 in taxable value for the next four years.

The school district faces a budget shortfall of $34 million over three years, said Superintendent Wilma Hamilton.

District officials predicted increased class sizes and fewer art and music classes if the money is not available next school year.

After cutting nearly $5 million in state funding to Sarasota County this year, the Legislature is expected to cut at least $14 million more for 2002-03.

"This community did not hire me to dismantle the Sarasota County schools piece by piece," Hamilton said. "They hired me to sustain excellence. And the only way to do that in the state of Florida is to solve the financial problem locally."

Hamilton said the money could be used to hire more teachers, offer employee raises and revive programs, such as after-school tutoring, that have been shut down.

Sarasota County voters rejected a similar property tax increase last year. Since then the school's budget problems have worsened.